


Rafe's First Sleepover

by orphan_account



Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Gen, M/M, excitable boys
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-19
Updated: 2016-11-19
Packaged: 2018-08-31 20:25:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,590
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8592292
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account





	

“I thought Octavian was coming here?”  
  
“I mean- I mean yeah, I thought so, too, but- is it- can I still-?“ Rafael looked desperate. 

Alec hadn’t seen such a close friendship since he and Jace at their age. “Raf n’ Tav” may have even beat them out for cutest parabatai-to-be. He sighed and crossed his arms.  
  
“ _Please_ , Dad? I’ve never spent the night at his--I’m old enough!”  
  
“Twelve is old enough to spend the night on the other side of the country?”  
  
Rafael just looked at his dad with an open mouth and pleading eyes. “Papa can portal over if there’s an emergency!”  
  
Alec looked over at his son’s bed, with everything haphazardly laid out to load into Rafe’s little duffel bag. It looked like his son was already half-packed (though from where Alec stood, most of the contents looked like toys, comic books, and board games). “…Alright,” he conceded with a sigh, “let’s run it by Papa, too. If he’s cool with it…”  
  
_“OKAY!”_ Rafael shouted. He’d recently lost one of his front teeth. He looked even younger when he smiled like he was now--all gapped pearly whites. Alec laughed as he watched his oldest bolt out of the room to find Magnus.  
  
It was mere seconds before Rafe and Max came tromping ecstatically up the stairs. Magnus had followed them up, coming up to Alec with a smile and eyes glittering with mischief, as usual. “A sleepover. Big news.” He put his arm around Alec’s waist, hand resting on Alec’s hip as they watched their boys flutter around Rafael's room excitedly.  
  
“Can I go too?!” Max asked loudly, helping his brother shove a pair of socks into the exploding duffle bag.  
  
“No no no,” Magnus said. "You have a cold, bug."  
  
Max paused to look up at him with huge, pleading eyes.

“Besides, who’s going to help Dad and I entertain our guests tonight if you go?”  
  
“Guests?” Max asked, crawling over Rafe’s bed with interest. Alec lifted a hand to hide his grin. Magnus was too good at this.  
  
“Don’t you think Auntie Clary is going to be lonely talking to us about art without her favorite little finger painter there to back her up? And-” he turned to Alec with theatrically wide eyes, “correct me if I’m wrong, dear, but didn’t Uncle Jace mention…?”  
  
“Right, the _pizza_ …”  
  
Max tucked his legs under himself solemnly, sitting back and looking at Rafael with pursed lips. “Sorry brother, I am needed here.”  
  
Rafael dunked another one of his sock-balls into the duffle. “You will be missed, brother.”  
  
Alec and Magnus marveled at the dry humor permeating the Lightwood-Bane house.  
  
  
\---  
  
  
"Max--foot out of my ribcage."  
  
"Sorry, Dad," his son mumbled. Max wiggled a little between Alec and Magnus on their bed, so as to situate his legs and his gameboy less dangerously. His head was still in Alec's armpit.   
  
It was nearly 10 o'clock at night now, and the Lightwood-Banes found sleep elusive in the absence of their fourth family member. Max, especially, missed his older brother's nightly guitar playing.   
  
Magnus huffed, setting his phone aside and dropping a heavy hand on the comforter. "Not so much as a goodnight text."  
  
Alec raised a brow over his readers, turning his head toward Magnus and away from his book. "I haven't heard that complaint since our first date."  
  
Max laughed.  
  
"Rude." Magnus swatted at them both. "You miss him, too, I can see your fingers twitching."  
  
Max looked up from his gameboy. He pointed at Alec's right hand curiously. "Yeah they're twitching, Dad."

"Why don't you use that magic iphone of yours to facetime him, then." Alec retorted defensively. 

"He'll hate me if I do that. Tween Rule Number One: Hate thy clingy father."

Max sniffed, rubbing his runny nose with his whole arm in typical eight-year-old fashion as he set his gameboy aside. "I'll do it, Papa." 

Magnus squinted down at his youngest contemplatively. "...We'll let it be for another hour. If he hasn't texted us by then, you're up." 

 

\---

 

It was exactly 10:26 p.m. when Rafe facetimed his parents with teary eyes and a tired voice. 

Alec and Magnus sat up immediately at the sound of snuffling. "Rafe?" 

"I wanna come home..." Their oldest whimpered. He was in the kitchen of the LA institute, from what it looked like. They could hear someone shuffling around behind him.   
  
"You okay? Was it another night terror?" Alec asked, head bent close to Magnus so they could both be in frame. Max maneuvered his way into frame between them.   
  
"I just-wanna come home...." 

Magnus was tense as he asked, "want us to come get you? What do you need, bug?"   
  
Rafael sniffed, wiping his nose with his arm in an unknowing, endearing echo of his younger brother. "Can you come get me?" 

Magnus nodded once, "you got it, bug, be there in ten." 

Rafael hung up and Max took the phone. Alec looked over at his husband with a crease between his brows. "You're not too tired for that? Portaling isn't easy, even at full strength." 

"It's our son, babe." Magnus leaned over and kissed Alec's cheek. "I could lift the Golden Gate Bridge with one arm if he needed me to." 

Alec leaned forward to kiss his lips with a smile. He understood completely. "Just be careful. Text me when you've made it." 

Magnus puckered his lips and brought his face close to Maxy's, who giggled and conceded, kissing Magnus' cheek. The High Warlock got out of their bed and shuffled around their room for one of Alec's hoodies to pull over his head. "Back in a jiff." 

"SAY HI TO THE BLACKTHORNS FOR ME, PAPA!" 

 

\---

 

"Hellooo?" Magnus had portaled into the unlit foyer of the ever-impressive Los Angeles Institute, and made his way toward the light of the kitchen. "Brooklyn's Finest, here to pick up one Rafael Lightwood-Bane?" 

He was greeted by his son's body hurtling itself at his legs. 

Magnus softened at the feel of the familiar dark, curly tendrils under his hands. The tension in his shoulders fell away as he held his boy close and looked up. 

Julian Blackthorn was stationed at the oven, waving shyly at Magnus with a mit-clad hand. Emma Cartairs was sat atop the kitchen counter to Julian's right, smiling apologetically at their guest.  
  
Octavian was sat at the table, knocking his knees and plucking at Rafael's guitar as he watched his friend with concern. "Sorry, Magnus," he offered softly. He looked as if he were somehow responsible for a simple case of homesickness.

"Not to worry, Tav." Magnus replied with a glittery wink. Not a day went by that he and Alec weren't grateful for Octavian's unending loyalty to--and love for--their son. Tav was really a wonderful kid.   
  
And he wouldn't be the fantastic child he was without the careful attention of his brother, Julian, Magnus knew. He turned his attention to Emma and the older Blackthorn. "Sorry for any trouble."

Julian waved his oven mit dismissively as he pulled a sheet of cookies out of the oven. "No trouble."   
  
"None at all, actually." Emma said, sliding off the counter. "Rafael was a dream guest. Kept Tavvy quiet for a whole day, made Druscilla turn tomato red--he even serenaded us this evening." Magnus could feel Rafe preening under the attention, rubbing his face into Magnus' sternum in embarrassment. "But then he started playing a song he mentioned was 'Dad's favorite,' and..."

She trailed off as Magnus looked down at Rafael. "Oh, bug," he cooed. He knelt down to be face-to-face with his son. "You sweet little thing." He pulled his eldest into the cradle of his arms before pushing him toward Octavian with a whispered "gather your stuff, yeah?"   
  
Magnus watched with sparkling eyes as Tav laid an arm over his friend's shoulders. They left the kitchen to grab Rafael's things upstairs.   
  
"I'm eating one of these and you cannot stop me." Magnus said, striding over to the sheet of cookies atop the oven. Julian and Emma laughed. "I'm certain he had a wonderful time. Thank you for hosting him, you two. Our Rafael would be lost without his parabatai-to-be." 

The couple shared a pink-cheeked smile. "We can understand that." Julian said.   
  
"He's welcome anytime," Emma added, dimpling prettily. 

Rafael was smiling tiredly when he re-entered the kitchen with Octavian. "You're all coming next week for dinner, yes?" Magnus asked with a flourish. 

Julian came up behind Emma, hand on her lower back. "I'm still responsible for dessert?" He asked. 

"Another chocolate cheesecake has been humbly requested by all residents of the New York Institute. And my husband. And Maxy." 

Emma and Julian laughed. 

They double-teamed Rafael; each bending to kiss a different cheek of his at the same time. "See you soon, Rafe." They said. 

"Night, guys." He replied shyly.  
  
Oh his sweet, polite boy. Magnus could just squeeze him senseless. 

\---

 

"WE'RE  _HOOOOME!"_ Magnus announced in their living room. He plopped himself on their couch, tuckered out and happy to be home. 

Alec and Max descended on them from the stairwell, Alec sweeping a tired-eyed Rafael into his capable arms as Max crawled into Magnus' lap. "You aright, bug?" Alec asked.   
  
Rafael put his hands on either side of Alec's face. "I missed you, Dad," he whispered, and hugged him. "I wanna go to bed now," he added, muffled by Alec's shirt.  
  
That night, the four of them slept soundly in Magnus and Alec's king bed, not a bad dream to be found. 

 


End file.
